Secret Invasion continues from Captain Britain and MI13 #3…

Kinsey Walden’s life has been turned upside-down when the Earth was invaded by the Skrulls.[1] Fleeing into New York City with her friends, they got themselves caught in the middle of the conflict between Earth’s defenders and the Skrulls. During one such conflagration, a giant-sized Skrull picked Kinsey up before dropping her to the ground.

Luckily, she is saved from a fatal fall by the Initiative’s Batwing (Jimmy Santini). Unfortunately, Batwing is shot in the back. While the pair fall, Jimmy turns them around so he takes the brunt of the impact, saving Kinsey’s life. Ethan, Kinsey’s boyfriend, tries to act tough as Nick Fury examines Kinsey to learn the extent of her injuries. The old war horse is not the least bit intimidated. Kinsey is delirious from the fall that she begins muttering about not being a Skrull. Fury determines that Kinsey’s arm is broken and resets it. The pain is so sudden, it wakes Kinsey up from her near unconsciousness.

Fury then picks the girl up and takes her to where she and Ethan will be safe as he wants to know why Kinsey thought she was a Skrull. As they make their way, Nick learns who Ethan is and when Skrulls block their path, he has the boy carry Kinsey so he can blast them with his massive cannon. Their safe haven is a church that frequently offers shelter to New York residents whenever superhumans tear the city up. Nick tells Ethan that they’ll look after him and Kinsey. After the nurses are finished patching Kinsey up, Fury asks her why she thought she might be a Skrull.

Walden explains how her brother Hank was acting weird recently, and how just the day before she caught him changing shape and he tried to kill her. She discovered that he was a Skrull as he pursued her and her friends into the city. Unfortunately, once they had gotten there the invasion was started and they lost track of the Skrull posing as Hank. She has wondered if this makes her a Skrull as well. Fury tells her that you can’t just suddenly become a Skrull, you either are, or you aren’t and how they usually replace the people they imitate. Fury then demands to know what makes Hank Walden so important to the Skrulls that they would want to replace him. The only thing that Kinsey knows is that her brother spent a lot of time at a research lab at Empire State University, but never found out what he was working on because Hank was always reclusive.

Fury doesn’t have time for any of this and presses her for more information. Kinsey says she doesn’t know but seems to remember something about some kind of particle and that he worked with a scientist whose name sounded kind of like Doctor Mustache. Fury suddenly realizes that she is talking about Professor Mustek, a crazy scientist with wild ideas and access to a particle accelerator. Mustek was a person that Fury monitored in his old job to make sure he didn’t accidentally zap the East Village to another galaxy.[2] He thanks them for this information, and tells Ethan and Kinsey that they are being relocated to a nearby subway station where other refugees are hiding out. Fury then hands them off to a SHIELD agent who is helping people to shelter. When Kinsey asks how Fury will find them if he needs more info on Hank, he tells her that if he needs her, he’ll be able to find her.

Soon, the two teens are herded into a subway train along with the other refugees. Kinsey is sat next to a woman who is pretty banged up. The two bond over the fact that they were injured by Skrulls. The woman wants to know where they’re headed, and Kinsey figures its Brooklyn. That’s when their train is attacked by a Super-Skrull with the powers of the Thing. As SHIELD agents try to keep it at bay, Kinsey, Ethan, and their new friend — Monica — decide to flee. However, Monica only goes a little ways to make sure the two teens got away safely. As it turns out, Monica is Monica Rambeau, a former Avenger. She thought she could sit this fight out after getting injured and realizes now that she doesn’t have that option. She tells the pair to keep going before transforming into her light form and doubling back to help the SHIELD agents.

When Kinsey and Ethan make their way to the surface, they discover that they have come out in front the the Empire State University campus and that the area is completely deserted. Kinsey decides to figure out what it was the Skrull was after. After breaking themselves into the science wing, Kinsey finds her brother’s student ID and determines that he works in lab #7. When they arrive, Ethan grabs the door knob and is jolted with electricity!

… Secret Invasion continues in Secret Invasion #5.

Recurring Characters

Kinsey Walden, Ethan, Skrulls, Nick Fury, Druid, Batwing, Monica Rambeau, SHIELD

Continuity Notes

1. This story takes place during the Secret Invasion event. The primary tale is told in Secret Invasion #1-8, and the various crossover issues. See below for a full listing.

2. When Kinsey asks Fury about his old job, he tells her not to worry about that. Fury used to be the Director of SHIELD until he went underground after it was revealed that he staged an illegal coup in Latveria. See Secret War #1-5. Brother Hank was replaced by a Skrull in Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #1.

Secret Invasion Reading Order

Prelude:

New Avengers #31, Mighty Avengers #7, New Avengers #34, New Avengers: Illuminati (vol. 2) #5, Secret Invasion: Prologue #1

The Invasion

Secret Invasion #1, Mighty Avengers #12, New Avengers #40, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #1, Secret Invasion #2, Mighty Avengers #13, Captain Britain and MI13 #1, Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1, Mighty Avengers #14, Incredible Hercules #117, New Avengers #41, Secret Invasion #3, Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? #1, Captain Britain and MI13 #2, Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #2, Incredible Hercules #118, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #2, Avengers: The Initiative #14, Mighty Avengers #15, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #28, New Avengers #42, Secret Invasion: Front Line #1, Secret Invasion #4, Mighty Avengers #16, X-Factor (vol. 3) #33, Incredible Hercules #119, New Warriors (vol. 4) #14, Avengers: The Initiative #15, She-Hulk (vol. 2) #31, New Avengers #43, Thunderbolts #122, Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #3, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #29, Black Panther (vol. 4) #39, Secret Invasion: Front Line #2, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #3, Secret Invasion: X-Men #1, Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1, Secret Invasion: Thor #1, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #2, Captain Britain and MI13 #3, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #4

Fighting Back

Secret Invasion #5, Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #4, X-Factor (vol. 3) #34, Incredible Hercules #120, Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man #1, New Warriors (vol. 4) #15, Nova (vol. 4) #16, Avengers: The Initiative #16, Mighty Avengers #17, She-Hulk (vol. 2) #32, Black Panther (vol. 4) #40, New Avengers #44, Thunderbolts #123, Secret Invasion: Front Line #3, Deadpool (vol. 4) #1, Secret Invasion: X-Men #2, Secret Invasion: Inhumans #2, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #3, Secret Invasion #6, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #30, Secret Invasion: Thor #2, Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #5, Mighty Avengers #18, War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD #33, Deadpool (vol. 4) #2, Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man #2, Nova (vol. 4) #17, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #5, Avengers: The Initiative #17, She-Hulk (vol. 2) #33, Black Panther (vol. 4) #41, New Avengers #45, Thunderbolts #124, Deadpool (vol. 4) #3, Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3, Secret Invasion: Front Line #4, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #6, Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #6, Mighty Avengers #19, War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD #34, Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man #3, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #7

The Final Battle

Secret Invasion #7, New Avengers #46, Thunderbolts #125, Secret Invasion: X-Men #3, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #6, Nova (vol. 4) #18, Avengers: The Initiative #18, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #25, War Machine: Weapon of SHIELD #35, Secret Invasion: X-Men #4, Secret Invasion: Thor #3, Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3, Secret Invasion: Front Line #5, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #8, Secret Invasion #8

Epilogue

New Avengers #47, Secret Invasion: War of Kings #1, Secret Invasion: Requiem #1, Secret Invasion Aftermath: Beta Ray Bill #1, Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1, Avengers: The Initiative #19